


Quite A Catch

by SoDoLaFaMiDoRe



Category: The Transformers (IDW Generation One), Transformers - All Media Types, Transformers Generation One
Genre: Falling In Love, First Kiss, Interspecies Romance, M/M, Merformers, birthday fic for tuakana
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-15
Updated: 2017-12-15
Packaged: 2019-02-14 23:52:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,005
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13018857
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SoDoLaFaMiDoRe/pseuds/SoDoLaFaMiDoRe
Summary: Sometimes, the fish catches you at the WRC





	Quite A Catch

**Author's Note:**

  * For [vienn_peridot](https://archiveofourown.org/users/vienn_peridot/gifts).
  * Inspired by [A Ship Called Wander](https://archiveofourown.org/works/3565610) by [vienn_peridot](https://archiveofourown.org/users/vienn_peridot/pseuds/vienn_peridot). 



> Hello all!
> 
> This is a special fic I wrote a while ago for the birthday of my tuakana [adhesivesandscrap](http://archiveofourown.org/users/vienn_peridot/pseuds/vienn_peridot)!
> 
> This fic borrows heavily from the canon of her work "A Ship Called Wander", but should be considered outside the realm of that fic series.
> 
> Arohanui tuakana, and I hope everyone enjoys this fic!

Adjusting to his new job had held quite a few surprises for Hound. The mer residents had taken some getting used to, even with his long experience dealing with wildlife. When he was truly tired he sometimes forgot they could all understand English, although most didn’t mind his mumbled compliments in the early morning. Today was no different as he walked in from checking an eel trap with tasty treats in his bucket, a little tired from a late night beforehand.

One of the newer mers had taken much longer to warm up to Hound. Mirage had the habit of disappearing by turning completely invisible whenever he heard someone coming, and Hound needed to make sure the mer was eating. Meaning Hound found himself squatting by the edge of his tank on the balls of his feet, food bucket on the rim next to him watching the eel wriggle through the water.

Hound was startled when Mirage seemed to apparate right below him, fins fanning and breaking the surface as Mirage went for the eel. Hound flailed for a moment but lost his balance on the grating, pitching over the edge and belly flopping gracelessly in the water. He flailed his limbs at the sudden surprise, boots weighing him down as his mouth opened in shock.

Considering a move like that wasn’t recommended with the calmest mers in the Center, Hound resisted the urge to let panic consume him as he realized he had fallen into the tank of a mer who was extremely territorial and not that fond of humans. He’d been on hand to enough training seminars and a memorable lecture with graphic pictures for the adrenaline to shock his system.

Hound kicked for the surface, swallowing more water as he swam for the ledge at breakneck speed, pulling himself back up and heaving up the salty water that had invaded his nose and mouth. He choked and sputtered, green hair plastered to his forehead as he shook. His chest was on fire and his lungs were aching, everything tasting of salt.

Looking back towards the tank for the sight of an enraged mer, Hound saw Mirage flickering in and out of sight, photophores blinking and changing through a range of stress patterns as Mirage stared into the distance.

Hound felt guilt twist his stomach, remembering the lecture Ratchet had given him on the WRC’s newest mers. They’d been through hell, and here he’d just startled one back to the nightmares the WRC had been trying to help them heal from. His body wracked with another deep cough and he caught a whiff of the staler saltwater in his eel bucket.

Steeling his nerves, Hound came to an extremely risky decision. He needed to help Mirage through the panic attack he caused, even if near every instinct and rulebook said not to approach a startled mer. It was Hound’s fault and he needed to make things right.

Sticking one of the wriggly eels in his shirt pocket, he gently lowered himself into the water and took a deep breath, swimming slowly and smoothly towards Mirage. Stopping in front of the mer, he grabbed and held Mirage’s wrists gently as the mer lashed out. Mirage’s eyes looked around wildly before focusing on the other as he took in the crop of green hair floating in the water and the scent of food. Hound watched the other’s gills flare as he sucked in a water, muscles visibly relaxing as the mer’s coloration began to return to it’s more normal blue and white shades. When Mirage slipped from fighting to shivering, Hound let his wrists go and gently began rubbing circles on the mer’s upper arms. 

Mirage began to settle with deep breaths, giving a curious glance to the wriggling in Hound’s shirt. Hound pulled out the eel with a smile, handing it to Mirage only to feel the other eel bump him in the back, startling him and causing him to suck in a mouthful of water.

The next thing Hound knew, he was flat on his back on the swim ledge, clearing seawater from his throat as Mirage cooed and encouraged him to breathe overhead, petting his cheek and poking at his chest, Ratchet glaring from his spot standing above the two. 

He was surprised he managed to keep his job after that, and positively sure Mirage had a say in it.

* * *

“Mirage are you alright?” First Aid adjusted his mask, taking in the other mer’s dreamy expression, “You’ve been really distracted.” Following Mirages line of sight, he noticed the shock of green hair first before recognizing the new employee. “Mirage?”

Mirage just made a noise that was a cross between a chitter and a purr, fins flicking as he continued to watch the human. First Aid resisted the urge to facepalm, a habit he had quickly adopted from watching Ratchet. Mirage couldn’t be less subtle with his current feelings if he tried. 

When Hound walked out of sight Mirage finally seemed to snap out of it, turning to First Aid still with that dreamy expression on his face.

“Mirage you’re hopeless.” Was all First Aid could respond, shaking his head and leaving the other to whatever daydream was going on his head. There was no way he was going to be getting the other’s attention at the moment.

* * *

Hound wasn’t sure if Mirage was still angry with him for scaring him, as every time he went past the tank the mer would splash at him and watch him from the water, lights and colors flashing. When he’d asked Drift for help all he could do was shrug, telling Hound that he needed to talk to Mirage if he thought there was a problem. They both spoke English, Hound and Mirage could discuss it between themselves was all the advice he would give. He did suggest making sure he didn’t come into the conversation empty-handed with a knowing smirk.

Hound decided to listen to Drift and bring a peace offering with him to make sure he wouldn’t upset Mirage further, a large bucket full of the fattest wriggling eels he’d been able to scrounge up. Squatting on the edge of the tank, he attempted not to be startled when Mirage popped into view across the tank, swimming towards him with curious glances towards the bucket. Breaking the surface, Mirage held onto the swim platform and looked at Hound in confusion.

“Why do you have the bucket? It’s not feeding time Hound.” It was always disconcerting when Mirage opened his mouth, considering Hound was used to most mer having the “Mer” accent. He was not used to a posh accent more at home in a reenactment of Pride and Prejudice coming out of Mirage’s mouth. That was when the mer chose to speak at all.

“I wanted to apologize for startling you the last time, I really scared you and I understand if you’re upset. I brought you some eels?” He tipped the bucket towards Mirage, showing him some of the wriggling eels before reaching in and handing one to the mer. Mirage took it with a quiet thanks, easily biting its head off with his razor-sharp teeth. Swallowing as the eel went limp in his hand, the mer set it on the ledge before training his attention back to Hound.

“Hound I’m not upset with you. It was an accident, but I appreciate the apology.” His fins kept fluttering in patterns that read agitation as his eyes bored into Hound’s. Hound felt confused, looking at the signals of stress practically rolling off the other. Mirage was flashing through multiple shades of blue, rolling from translucent to navy in the space of milliseconds as his tail pumped in the water.

“Mirage are you still angry? Your fins keep flicking.” Hound mimicked the motion with his hand, only to receive a flare of biolights and Mirage disappearing from view with a small splash. Hound made sure the bucket of eels was within easy reach of the tank before backing up and leaving the room, giving Mirage his space.

* * *

At two separate points in the facility, during the exact same moment in time, First Aid and Rodimus could feel tension headaches building as they heard the story. “You just swam off! He’s trying to be nice and you swam off! Mirage that is the exact opposite of showing you’re not mad!” First Aid knew Mirage knew all this, but he felt the mer still needed a few good whacks with what Rodimus called a “Clue-by-four”. 

“Aid watch your tone, Hound just surprised me.” Mirage attempted to defend weakly, even as he faltered. First Aid did know how to strike the root of a problem.

“Mirage you’re acting beyond obvious how could it be a surprise?!” First Aid facepalmed, shaking his head as he resisted the urge to twitch in exasperation. “Mirage, you need to be more upfront with these things! Take some initiative! Hound’s just going to think you hate him!”

“Alright alright! I’ll try and be a little more straightforward.” Conceding that First Aid was right, Mirage swam off, turning invisible to escape the tank and cross the floor without the cameras closely watching his every move, even if he did leave a trail of water in his wake.

* * *

“Wait, how were his fins flicking?” Hound was embarrassed to be asking Rodimus for advice, but he was honestly at a loss on how to deal with Mirage and his reaction to the apology. He honestly didn’t want the other to be angry, as he felt he had been earning Mirage’s trust. He didn’t want a simple mistake to throw it all away. 

“Like, a quick flicker like this,” marking a few jerking motions with his hand near his outer thigh, fingers wiggling to show where the tips of Mirage’s fins fanned out. “His skin and biolights were also flickering really fast, but in this weird pattern from his head down.” Hound wasn’t liking the look on Rodimus’ face as the mer just stared at him, mouth agape but eyes showing the work going on in his head.

Hound also wasn’t liking the large grin that was speaking across Rodimus’ face. He look like the catfish that ate the canary.

“Hound, I think Mirage was flirting with you!” He burst out into laughter as Hound turned red, stammering and shaking his head as Rodimus splashed him. “Come on Hound, don’t be shy! Aww you’re blushing!” Hound wished the floor would swallow him up, face red as a beet as Rodimus teased and prodded him some more.

He was really not looking forward to his next conversation with the other.

* * *

Hound had been debating what to do with himself for two days. On one hand, Mirage was clearly intelligent and from what Rodimus had said, most of the mers at the center were able to make their own choices. But he still felt awkward, considering everything he’d learned about mers had either been through textbooks or documentaries that sometimes refused to acknowledge their intelligence. He couldn’t deny his feelings for the other, but he also couldn’t decide if they were _right_.

He knew he should talk to Ratchet, ask his boss what his opinion was, but considering that he was already on thin ice from falling into the pool; he wasn’t sure how that conversation could turn out. He truly liked his job and had been forming friendships with the residents and staff, he didn’t want to lose it. 

Resolving to talk to Mirage even as his stomach was tied in knots; he just prayed he wasn’t making assumptions about what Rodimus had said. He really did find himself falling for the other, but Mirage needed free say in the matter. Gathering his courage, he went to the tank Mirage was currently being held in it. At it seemed empty, Hound watching the deep for a flash of lights in the water as the mer shimmered back into view. Mirage’s fins starting to flick at the mere sight of Hound.

Swimming up to the edge of the tank, Mirage hauled himself up to hold the grates while still looking elegant. Hound felt like he was made of clunky boxes as he squatted, unsure of where to start. Luckily for the tongue-tired human, Mirage spoke up first.

“Hound, we need to talk.” The flicking was a little jerkier this time, and Hound resisted the urge to cover his face as it began to flush. Heat was creeping up his neck, cheeks and ears turning bright red. “I’m sorry for how I’ve been acting, it can be hard for me to discuss certain things plainly.” 

Hound bit his tongue to make sure he didn’t interrupt, but did cut in as quickly as Mirage finished. “No no no! Don’t apologize Mirage, it was my fault!” He wasn’t sure where to go from there, but he wanted to reassure the mer that he was more to blame for the situation. He’d already caused enough confusion in the past few days. “Rodimus helped clarify some things for me, I thought you were still angry.” 

Mirage’s eyes widened, sinking back a little in the water as he stilled his fins through some effort. “So you know?” He was halfway to becoming invisible, his blues fading out to match the shades of the water.

“Well I understand now, and I-uh, well?” Now Hound was tongue-tied, blushing and stuttering. His entire face was on fire and his hands made aborted gestures in an attempt to illuminate his jumbled thoughts. Mirage looked indecisive for a moment, looking around for witnesses before hauling himself up farther, pulling Hound down and mashing their lips together. Hound flailed for a moment as he toppled onto his knees, before relaxing into the kiss and resting his hands on Mirage’s shoulders.

Pulling back, they looked into one another’s eyes as Ratchet rounded the corner.

* * *

Even if Ratchet hadn’t physically put a hand on Hound he felt as if his boss was dragging him by the ear to his office. Sitting in the chair across the desk without being prompted, he watched Ratchet pinch the bridge of his nose, take a deep breath, hold it, release, and inhale another. His words were still terse, but it seemed as if he had needed to have this discussion before.

“First Aid told me Mirage’s side of events already. I want to know yours now before I figure out where to go from here.” Hound felt his stomach knot in dread, realizing that Ratchet was probably debating firing him. 

Hound swallowed thickly as his mind froze, trying to figure out how to explain that he did like Mirage but had been planning on saying no but Mirage had kissed him but he hadn’t stopped it and he kind of liked it and oh gosh he was going to lose his job and his lips still tasted like salt. 

Ratchet shook his head as he took in Hound’s expression, seemingly able to read his thoughts like an open book. “Look Hound, I’m not going to fire you if you tell me the truth, at least until everything is laid on the table. But I need you to be honest with me right now, because if I find out you’re lying I am going to personally drown you in the ocean.”

Giving a quick recount of the past week or so, how Hound had confused Mirage's flirtation for anger and realized he'd been developing a crush on the mer, especially after Rodimus explained what Mirage actually meant, up to the compromising position Ratchet had found them in. 

Ratchet's head was in his hands by the end of the explanation, clearly needing an asprin he didn’t have. "Hound, I'm going to explain some things off the record, that are never to leave this room or be made public. This has happened before, and yes, I know most people think mer are animals without enough sentience to consent. Drift and I have been dating each other and a mer named Wing." 

Well that was news.

"I'm not going to stop you from pursuing a relationship with Mirage if you both want that. However I am warning you now, it's extremely hard to both hide and maintain. This puts your job at risk, the safety of the mers here and the future of the WRC is the most important. If your relationship breaks off and Mirage asks me for help I’ll need to come up with an excuse and let you go. I cannot compromise the safety of the mers and I will be needing to keep an eye on things, for the good of all of our residents.” Ratchet, for most of his gruff exterior, did care about those in his charge, and Hound could respect where he was coming from. Even if it was making him scared out of his wits.

“But you’re not going to stop us?” Hound wasn’t quite sure how to phrase this, but Ratchet seemed to understand what he meant.

“I’m not going to get involved, and I don’t want details that don’t concern me. But Mirage’s health and safety is first priority, and I need to make sure this doesn’t go public. I won’t stop you two, but I need to make sure we’re absolutely clear what’s at risk if you choose to have a relationship. If this continues, I will be keeping tabs to make sure Mirage’s rights are respected. And remember, not a word of this outside of the other mers and staff at the WRC.”

“I understand, sir.”

“Alright then, as long as that’s settled. If you have any questions you know you can ask me for clarification.” Ratchet made a shooing motion with his hand, reaching for a bottle of aspirin in his desk drawer.

“Thank you.” Walking out, Hound walked towards Mirage, whose fins were flat in a stressed position. Kneeling down, he pulled Mirage into a tight hug and started back up where their kiss had been interrupted.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed the fic!


End file.
